I have nothing against fat men. I belong to that tribe anyway. But Ronaldo… what was he doing on the pitch that night? A sordid display that had disinterest written all over it. Carlos Alberto Parreira might be committing a grave mistake playing him in front of top-draw playmakers like Ronaldinho and Kaka. He simply doesn’t deserve that kind of service.
Ronaldo might have had to face even more criticism, but he should be thankful to Peter Crouch for diverting some away from him. These were some comments from the England - Trinidad & Tobago game… Crouch is played an excellent ball, it comes right to his scoring foot, at just the right height, an easy tap-in for anyone at that level. Crouch sends it wide, almost 70 degrees away from goal. The commentator remarks: “… an excellent ball played to Crouch. Peter Crouch! Goodness me, he almost sent it for a throw-in!“
On another occassion, the 6ft 7in Liverpool striker misses an easy header. Comment: “Must say, the ball hit Peter Crouch, rather than Crouch hitting the ball!“
Crouch seems like a person being played by Eriksson because he is short of players, or because Crouch is a tall man. Yes, of course he scored. But if you get David Beckham to play such wonderful, measured crosses a hundred times during the game, surely anyone can convert one of those.
It’s not just Crouch, the whole English team looks off-colour. The only player who seemed comfortable in an England shirt during the T&T game was Aaron Lennon. Wayne, save these folks!
Related posts:
- Ronaldo & RonaldinhoWhen Frank Rijkaard took over the reins at Barcelona, the club was struggling. In Spain, as well as in Europe, the Catalans were not anywhere near where a club that is so passionately, even feverishly supported across the globe should have been. Rijkaard and Henk ten Cate turned the team around, building it around 2003-signing Ronaldinho. Though Rijkaard's first season wasn't a success, he went on to win the Spanish league title twice in succession, in 2004-05 and 2005-06. Ronaldinho...
- But I go on forever…In football, great players are abundant. I bet you can easily reel off two dozen names without even pausing to think. But managers? There aren't enough of them who would be accepted by everyone without doubt or question. Sir Alex Ferguson, now into his 21st year at the helm of Manchester United, belongs to that rare breed. In fact, he is the last of the old type of managers, which makes him the rarest of the rare. And it is...
- Is Brazil divided?Brazil have beaten Ghana 3-0 to progress to the quarter-finals of the World Cup. It could have been much worse for the Africans, though, truth be told, they played rather well for the most part. The one thing that didn't work for Ghana was their offside trap; all three goals stolen by Brazil were due to some deft line play by their scorers. Ghana did look like scoring, and they did get some good shots on goal, but they lacked...
- United’s four teamsSoccernet's Norman Hubbard comments on Manchester United's "overpopulated" squad size this season, and ends it with listing out the four unique teams that Sir Alex Ferguson can field. The First XI: Van der Sar; Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Ronaldo, Scholes, Hargreaves, Giggs; Tevez, Rooney. The Second XI: Foster; O'Shea, Brown, Pique, Heinze; Anderson, Fletcher, Carrick, Nani; Solskjaer, Saha The Third XI: Kuszczak; Bardsley, Evans, Silvestre, Eckersley; Park, Eagles, Lee, Martin; Smith, Rossi. The Fourth XI: Heaton; Simpson, Cathcart, Shawcross, Lea;...
- Park be thy nameJairam Ramesh, economist, once pointed out that doing business with South Korea was much easier (than with India) because either you were dealing with a Kim or with a Park! But the one Park who is turning on the heat is actually not in South Korea now. He is in England, and he plays for Manchester United. Ji-Sung Park inspired Manchester United to a rousing victory at Craven Cottage, playing a pivotal role in each of the three goals they...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Arunkumar Ravi on 
June 17th, 2006 at 1:43 pm
Ronaldo looked out of sorts, but he is a slow starter. Hope he gets back his golden touch. Coach has instilled confidence in him by including him in the playing 11 for the australian game. You never know when he will deliver. Remember in WC’02 he came back from a long lay off from knee injury and if i remember right, fatter than this.
Crouch is under utilizing his height. Also one expects Lampard to convert all the gud chances that he had. Its a worrying note indeed. It should improve a lot. But the commitment and fitness of Rooney in that match must have raised the spirits of the Barmy Army. Theo Walcott should be given a chance in the next game.